I'm a jumper

In addition to my open ballet class, I'm also taking a modern class this semester.  The unclimbable mountain of every class is her major adagio-allegro double whammy that takes a good 15 minutes to learn by 8s.  Usually 4 counts of very slow 8, so you might as well call it 8 counts of 8.  They're great, though, and we do them over and over in two groups so we can figure out what we were actually supposed to do while the other group is going.


Normally we don't jump, really not at all, which is a shame.   My extensions are only so-so, my knees look perpetually bent from the inside, and my back will be forever thrown by some spinning falls off of horses.  But my jumps are good.  Petit allegro, grand allegro, turns, grand waltzes, whatever, if something is "for boys," I like doing them and I'm good at it.  After poking my knees at barre trying to get me to "straighten all the way," my instructors invariably see me jump and go, "oh look!  You are good for something."

I'm definitely bragging here, but it's my one claim to ballet okay-ness.

Anyway, we don't jump a ton in my modern class, so my modern instructor has never really seen my jumps, but today... oh, today.  We did THREE medium-allegro combinations from side to side, kind of like interval training because she made sure we knew what we were doing a couple of times across the floor, and then asked the musician to vamp up the speed, and then vamp it up again, and again.  And then we did a second combination, and then a third.  And she was very pleased with my jumps.  She SAID so.  To the CLASS.  In one of the crazy-fast renditions of the second combination she said, "Watch how Robin barely touches the floor--well, she hits with a very good plie, but then immediately pushes off.  That's how she can do it so fast."

That's all.  It was a good class. 

(Combinations:

1.  Moving from stage left to right.  8 counts.

Tombe onto right foot (1), coupe pivot as if going into a jete tour (and), saute arabesque on R leg facing UsR (2 and), run run to face DsL (3 and), rond de jambe R arching towards working leg, side to front (4), step onto R (and), pique facing DsL onto L (5) plie on L (and), grand jete a la seconde to R facing front (6) step (and), grand jete R leg front facing stage R (7) step (and), chug with R leg in passe, curving upper back (8 and).

2.  Moving from stage left to right.  10 counts.

R leg degage side, upper back arch away from leg (1) step (and), step (2) L leg degage side, upper back arch away from leg (and), step step to face DsL in parallel (3 and), degage parallel arabesque R leg (4) step back onto demi pointe onto R leg (and), step demi pointe L leg, arching upper back backwards (5) step forward plie parallel onto R leg (and), little pas de chat in parallel with L leg to passe first, starting to come out of the arch (6) step plie pivoting to turned out coupe, facing stage R (and), step backward onto L leg and saute with R leg arabesque (7 and), step backward onto R leg and saute with L leg arabesque (8 and), land fourth with R leg front (9 and), jump forward in fourth, arching upper back backwards (10 and). 

3.  Moving from stage left to right.  8 counts. 

Saute on L leg, facing front, R leg passe, upper back arched backwards (1 and), step onto R leg, facing DsL and saute with L leg in arabesque (2 and), grand jete backwards with R leg brushing back, L leg ending in a degage front (3 and), coupe, saute on L leg with R leg extended a la seconde (4 and), run run to face UsR (5 and), grand jete R leg forward (6 and), step fouette saute R leg extended, (7 and), little hitchkick to change legs so L leg is in low attitude back (8).  )